Anything for You
by Perse
Summary: Remus and Sirius talk after Padfoot’s first night with Moony.


Title: Anything for You

Author: Perse

Rating: G

Category: general, drama

Summary: Remus and Sirius talk after Padfoot's first night with Moony.

Disclaimer: The characters and situations of _Harry Potter_ do not belong to me. I make no money from this story. Please don't sue.

Author's Note: This is set in MWPP era. It was originally part of a longer story; one that I am completely reworking. I decided to go ahead and polish this little snippet and post it as a way of helping me through a case of writer's block. It's short, sweet, and more than a little fluffy. It is intended as a friendship story, not slash. Feedback is welcome!

.................

Moony felt the change coming. The wolf howled in protest to the approaching dawn.

But nothing could stop the coming transformation. Soon the pain began and the howling morphed slowly into screams. In the end, a human body was left lying facedown on the floor of the Shrieking Shack.

Remus groaned as his consciousness regained control. The transformations took a lot out of him, and that had always been on top of whatever injuries he'd inflicted on himself during the night. He prepared himself for the onslaught of pain as those injuries made themselves known.

But it didn't come, at least not to the normal degree.

Suddenly he became aware of a sound above him. A whine...a dog's whine.

And memories of the night before came rushing back. Sirius had accompanied him through the passage and into the shack, which was fairly usual. Before he had always said goodbye at the door, promising to see him in the morning in the hospital wing, reminding him that he had friends to see him through this. But this time, Sirius had come in with him and turned to lock the door behind him. Remus had stared at him in shock; Sirius had simply grinned and proceeded to morph into a large black dog right in front of him.

Remus had been surprised, to say the least. He had known they'd been trying, but he'd had no indication that they'd succeeded. Though apparently, only Sirius had succeeded thus far. Remus didn't know if it was a good idea to have only the dog with him, but at that point he hadn't had time to do anything about it.

He remembered little else. With a bit of effort he turned onto his back, and stared up into the shaggy black face. A weak smile spread across his face. "Sirius."

The dog gave a small yip in confirmation, placing a large paw lightly on his chest. Remus realized that he was covered in an old blanket, and that Sirius must have pulled it over him just after his transformation. It was a bit rough and had a few holes. But Remus was used to waking up naked and cold, and being forced to lie here until he regained enough strength to get up. He fingered the blanket, smile widening. "Thanks," he said softly.

The dog cocked his head as if to say 'Of course. What kind of friend do you think I am?' Then he leaned his head down, stuck out his long tongue, and licked Remus' face.

Remus turned his head away and protested with, "Eww, puppy slobber!" but he couldn't keep from giggling.

The dog barked his approval of Remus' happiness, tail wagging. Remus reached up to pat his head. "Why haven't you changed back yet? You can change back, can't you?" he asked, a trace of panic creeping into his voice.

The dog gave him a look, and Remus could once again swear he was reading Sirius' expressions in the decidedly-canine face. This one was 'of course I can. What kind of idiot do you take me for?' But with another whine he looked towards the door.

Remus understood. It wouldn't do for him to get caught, being as how he was now an unregistered and quite illegal animagus. It would be much easier for him to get back to Hogwarts as a big black dog. "It will be a bit before Madame Pomfrey gets here. She always waits until after dawn to head for the Whomping Willow. That way she's sure I'll be human again by the time she arrives."

That earned him a soft growl. Sirius clearly thought she should be here sooner to tend to him.

Remus smiled at the protectiveness. Sirius' care never ceased to amaze him.

Then the dog lay down beside him to wait, and the smile faded as he got a closer look. "Sirius..." he propped himself up on his elbows with a grimace and reached to feel a matted spot in the black fur. It was blood. "You're hurt," he said softly, guilt and worry creeping into his voice. "I hurt you, didn't I?"

The dog shook its head, ears flopping, but if that was a 'no' it was a blatant lie.

"Yes, I did." Remus had the upper hand in this argument; he could talk. "None of these are bite marks, are they?" he asked with a bit of panic.

The dog stood again, planted the paw back on his chest, and lightly pushed him back into a prone position. Remus let out a small "oof," realizing that perhaps he didn't have the upper hand after all. He looked up into the serious dark eyes. Sirius clearly thought he was fine and wanted Remus to calm down.

Sure, the werewolf bite shouldn't effect other animals. But that had sounded so much more comforting before it had actually applied to his best friend.

Nevertheless, he didn't have the strength to fight about it at the moment. He might not be as injured as usual, but he was still quite weak. Sirius apparently sensed his acquiescence, as he removed the paw and lay down again, this time placing his head on Remus' chest and casting him a sideways glance.

Remus rolled his eyes. Now he knew the real meaning of 'puppy dog eyes.' He smiled once more, bringing a hand up to stroke the soft head. The dog happily nuzzled his head under Remus' chin, then turned a cold nose into his neck. Remus squeaked in protest. The large black tail thumped on the floor as it wagged.

"Well, who's your friend Mr. Lupin?"

The voice startled them both. Sirius jumped up and instinctively growled before he realized who it was. Remus sat up, reaching to stroke the dog's back in the guise of calming it. The black body was tense under his touch, and Remus wondered briefly how deep the canine instincts ran and if Sirius would have attacked if it had been a stranger.

In answer to Madame Pomfrey's question he said, "I'm not sure. He was here when I woke up. I think he may have been here all night; he's got some scratches. Could you look at him? Please?"

The dog turned to give him another look, but Remus wasn't backing down on this one.

Madame Pomfrey came closer with a bit of caution. "I'd be happy to. _If_ he's willing to let me."

"Oh, he seems quite friendly."

She seemed unsure of that, and Remus realized that Sirius had chosen a rather large and imposing animal. He hadn't been at all afraid and, while in human form at least, he saw the dog as a big cuddly creature. But he certainly had the capability to look fierce.

Madame Pomfrey insisted on looking at Remus first, and after a cautioning look from the werewolf the dog simply sat passively nearby and watched. "Well, you seem to have had a fairly good night. I think perhaps having your new friend to keep you occupied did you a lot of good."

"Yeah, but what did I do to him?" Remus put in, still worried. The dog barked shortly and nudged his leg with his nose.

Madame Pomfrey treated the few deep wounds that he had, then moved to retrieve his clothes. She stepped out of the room to allow him some privacy, and Sirius padded out after her. Remus smiled as he saw the dog take a seat docilely beside her feet. She cautiously began to talk to him and pet him as Remus dressed. He then sat down for a moment to regain his strength, calling her back in as he did so.

The dog returned to Remus' side, where he sat as he allowed Madame Pomfrey to check him over. He kept casting long-suffering glances Remus' way, forcing Remus to choke back his laughter.

Finally she pronounced, "They're shallow. Nothing more than he would get in a little tussle with a neighborhood dog. He'll be just fine."

"No bites?"

She looked over at him. "He's an animal. You don't need to worry about that."

Remus resisted the urge to correct her. "Humor me?"

She offered him a comforting smile. "As far as I can tell, everything that brought blood is just a scratch. Everything is fine, Remus." She released the dog, who promptly turned back to Remus and licked his face again. Remus scrunched up his nose and just accepted what he expected was equal parts comfort and retaliation.

"I can't imagine how he got in here," Madame Pomfrey mused as she watched them. "Perhaps we should check out the house before next month; make sure its still secure."

There was really little response that Remus could give to that without giving something away, so he simply nodded.

"I suppose if he got in he'll get back out on his own. Come on then, Mr. Lupin. Let's get you back to school."

She helped him to his feet, and with one last look at Sirius he followed her down into the passageway. They left the door open behind them.

..................

Two hours later, Remus had been pronounced fit to return to his dormitory. It was by far the shortest amount of time he'd ever spent in the hospital wing after a full moon. He even entertained the idea of stopping for breakfast, but decided that his body wasn't quite up to that yet.

Climbing the stairs of Gryffindor tower took most of his energy. By the time he opened the door to the 5th years' dorm, he was breathing heavily and ready to collapse into bed again. But as he stepped in, a wide smile still crossed his face.

Sirius was sitting on his bed, no doubt regaling James and Peter with tales of the night before. All three were beaming as they turned to him.

"You're back awfully early, Remus," James put in with a big smile.

Sirius stood and came to meet him. He was practically bouncing. They stared at each other for a moment, matching each other's smiles, then Remus shook his head and reached for him. Sirius met him in a gentle hug, both careful because they knew the other had some injuries.

"I can't believe you actually did it," Remus said softly. Then he pulled back and punched Sirius lightly in the shoulder. "Why didn't you tell me?!"

"Ow!" Sirius exclaimed in mock pain, then was quick to say that he was joking when Remus began to look upset. "I'm fine, Remy," he insisted, coaxing his friend over to the bed where he could sit and rest. "I didn't want to get your hopes up until I was sure I could do it. Then I decided it would be a nice surprise," he shrugged, still beaming.

Remus rolled his eyes, turning his attention to the other two. "You guys were notably absent," he raised a questioning eyebrow.

"We're getting there. We just weren't quite ready this month," Peter put in.

"Yeah, some of us still only manage the tail," James teased.

"And some of us still need help to get rid of our antlers," Peter shot back in kind.

Remus was confused. Sirius leaned close and whispered, "Don't ask. You don't want to know."

"Guys, if its too hard or dangerous..."

"No, you're not talking us out of it. You need us," Peter insisted.

James smirked, "Besides, we can't let Sirius have all of the fun." Before Sirius could retort he continued, "We're gonna go get some breakfast. You want anything?"

Remus shook his head, but Sirius said, "Bring me some toast or something, okay?"

James gave him a look. "Well I was asking Remus. You know, the guy who needs to rest..."

"Hey, I was up all night too! I'm tired!" Sirius exclaimed.

James gave an exasperated sigh. "Well, don't get used to it. But I suppose I could bring you a couple pieces of bread...Snuffles." With a wicked grin, James took off after Peter.

"That is _not_ going to be my nickname!" Sirius called indignantly. When Remus looked at him curiously he added, "He's just jealous."

"Snuffles?" Remus asked in amusement.

Sirius sighed. "You know that cold I had a couple of weeks ago? Well, the first time I actually transformed it was because I sneezed. It made me stop concentrating so hard, and then it just happened almost naturally. After that, James and Peter started calling me Snuffles." He rolled his eyes.

"I don't know, I kind of like it." Remus laughed at the glare Sirius sent his way. "Well I do need something to call you while you're in animal form. I felt a bit odd calling the dog 'Sirius.' And you call me Moony, after all."

"I thought you liked Moony."

"I do," he hastened to reassure him. Sirius had been the one to coin that nickname, and Remus loved it. He'd never had a nickname before, at least not a polite one, and he knew it was a sign of affection. "I'm just saying that you guys need one, too."

"Fine, as long as mine isn't Snuffles!"

"We'll think of something else then," Remus agreed with a laugh, just before he yawned. He resisted the urge to just curl up and go to sleep then. He and Sirius needed to talk first. He grew serious as his friend turned to meet his eyes. "Let me see," he instructed.

Sirius simply looked at him for a moment, gauging whether or not he could talk him out of it. Then he sighed in resignation and turned his back to Remus. He lifted the edge of his t-shirt until it revealed the worst of the scratches on his back.

Remus leaned forward, frowning. They looked quite painful. He reached out to run a finger lightly over one of the marks. Sirius flinched slightly, though it was obvious he was trying not to react. Remus shut his eyes. "Sirius..." he began.

Sirius dropped the shirt back into place and turned back to face him. He seemed prepared to say something, but after one look at Remus he changed his mind. "Moony, you need to rest."

Remus did rather feel like he might keel over at any moment. He didn't resist as Sirius moved to adjust his pillows and then manhandled him until he was reclining against them. He shut his eyes for a moment to regain his equilibrium. But when he felt Sirius get up to move away, he popped his eyes back open and reached to grab his hand.

Sirius looked unhappy about it, but he sat back down. "Remus, we don't need to talk about this."

"Yes, we do." He pushed himself a bit more upright. "Tell me about last night."

"What do you remember?"

"After my transformation? Not much. Bits and pieces are coming back to me though, which is different."

Sirius gave an excited smile. "See? That means you retained some of your consciousness, right? This is going to work, Remy. We're going to make this easier on you. It's just going to take a little time to get used to it."

Remus just looked at him. "Were you afraid?" he asked bluntly.

Sirius seemed a bit surprised by the question. "I'm not scared of you, Remus."

"That's not what I asked," he said quietly, looking into Sirius' deep, dark eyes. He wanted an honest answer.

After a few moments of silence Sirius sighed. "Yeah, okay. There were a couple of moments when I was a little concerned," he admitted honestly. "But you heard Madame Pomfrey. I don't have anything worse than I would have had after a playing with a neighborhood dog."

"I believe she was speaking of fighting, not playing."

"Trust me Remus, I was there. If the wolf had been trying to fight me I'd know it. You really didn't have any interest in hurting me. I was keeping you occupied, and we were playing."

Remus was shaking his head. "The wolf isn't something you can play with! You could have been seriously hurt!"

"Calm down," Sirius soothed. "I wasn't, and I kept you from hurting yourself as much as usual. Everything worked out okay—better than okay!"

"But it might not have. We're talking about your life here, versus my comfort!"

"Your comfort?" Sirius repeated incredulously. Urgently, he took Remus by the shoulders. "Don't try to talk about this like its some trivial thing. I have spent two and a half years worth of full moons visiting you in the hospital wing, and being with you up until the last few minutes before you transform. I know its hell for you. Do you think it doesn't kill the three of us to see you in that much pain? We're not going to just lie here in our nice warm dormitory while we could be helping you."

The words had an impact, but Remus could not give this up so easily. "You care more about me than your own safety. That's great for me, but it could get you killed!"

Sirius was annoyingly calm. "Can you honestly tell me that you don't feel the same about me?"

The question threw him for a moment. "Well...yeah, but...that's different," he finished rather lamely.

"No it's not," Sirius stated, and that was that. "You're not going to talk me, or James and Peter, out of this. It helps you, I proved that last night, and we're going to keep doing it." He reached out and gently pushed Remus back into the pillows. "Now rest, Remy."

Remus sighed, but settled into a more comfortable position. He looked up and met Sirius' eyes. "Promise me you'll get something for those scratches?"

"Moony..."

Remus grinned cheekily and responded, "Snuffles..."

Sirius stared at him for a moment, then very calmly got up, went to his bed and retrieved a pillow, and came back to stand over Remus. "I'd just like to point out that it is because you are feeling so much better than you normally would that I am able to do this." With that, he raised the pillow and proceeded to smack Remus in the head.

Despite the words, Sirius was still gentle with him. Remus knew he wouldn't fight him for the pillow. He grabbed it out of his friend's hands without much effort. He then proceeded to add it to the pillows on his bed before snuggling down into it and closing his eyes. "Thanks, Sirius."

Sirius heaved a long-suffering sigh, but Remus could hear the smile behind it.

He heard Sirius start to move away. "Sirius?"

"Remus?" his friend responded in kind.

"You didn't have to do this, you know. When I think of all the things that could have gone wrong..." Sirius started to speak again, but Remus ignored him and continued, "Still, I really appreciate it. Very few people would care enough to turn themselves into a dog." He cracked an eye open to watch Sirius' reaction. "Thank you."

Sirius smiled. Not one of his up-to-no-good grins, but an honest and sincerely happy smile. "You're my best friend, Moony. You don't have to thank me."

As Remus started to drift off to sleep he heard Sirius add softly, "I'd do anything for you."

..................


End file.
